The Tease Game
by KayKrissi
Summary: Every year after Valentine's Day the students of Gryffindor get together to brag about the previous day's romancing. Well now Harry's tired of getting left out of the action and has a plan. But what happens when the girls find out?
1. The Day After Valentine

Chapter One: The Day After Valentines: Boys Tell All

The day after the commercial holiday of Valentine's Day was always a day to relax, chill, and feel the gloom that came along when one didn't not have a special sweetheart. The day was normally raining, ironically, and classes at Hogwarts were either extremely time-consuming or surprising short.

But after all the classes and the long dining hall supper the broken hearted and cupid-hit gathered around in the common room to either complain about last night or dream about last night. It became a natural ritual to the boys at Hogwarts who had already finished Potions homework and completed studying for a simple test the next day.

Some kid would always start the fireplace, usually the one who knew the spell for fires…suck-up… and a random upper classman would call all the storytellers and the story listeners to a leather couch or corduroy recliner. Thus, the "Day after Valentines" ritual began, without warning to those who kept their mouths shut.

Three or four boys usually came to the common room early; the ones who had a good story to tell and those who wanted to make it look like they had a good story to tell. Ron and Harry just happen to be early but if it was up to them they would have rather not attended at all. They had just happened to come from supper and Ron liked hearing cheesy stories; he could get some tips for next year.

Ron took off his wool, slightly aged and covered in whatever he ate that night, robe and set it on the couch to claim his seat. Harry took noticed that the chair farthest away from the fireplace was open, farther way …farther from the conversation. The boys already there were smiling and acting like boys act when around other boys, classified as a jerk.

"Harry, boy am I excited …I love the day after Valentines: things go on sale, I have to make-up a story to tell the guys…a good one this year, I promise, and all the ugly lassies suddenly don't care if you pick your nose when you think no one is looking," whispered Ron who had a big smirk on his face.

"Make sure the story this year is more realistic, I don't think anyone bought the fact you had a date with 5'8 supermodel half fairy half genius half giant half dragon," laughed Harry, rolling his eyes. Ron shrugged and giggled at the fact as well.

"This year Harry I have claimed to either gone on a date with a house-elf, big one at that, or have convinced Granger to finally check out my super pecked out bod, yeah!" Ron shouted flexing his arms up and down to give his chicken wings a bigger physical appearance. Harry again could not help but choke on his own spit.

"One, Hermione hates you, two Hermione hates you, three Hermione hates you and four the house-elf excuse was used two years ago by yours truly," corrected Harry. By now many of the boys had made it to tonight's meeting and the good thing was the Slytherins and the Hufflepuffles were doing the same thing somewhere else.

The hazel grandfather clock struck eight and every lad was sitting in a chair or sitting near the fireplace. The rain began to die down and many of the pictures, the women pictures that is, had left to purposely not be in the room during the conversation.

The eldest boy, Rockford Henderson (he retook two years)…classified as strong to the ladies and dumb ass to the boys, began the long night of dates and staying home tales. He sat in the biggest chair with his gold locks combed back, purposely, and his fancy velvet rope loosely fitted on his muscular body, full of it.

"Well, lets start with the oldest shall we…oh dear my, I am the oldest…chuckle…, again ironic…pish posh ironic, and my date was slamming because I went out with three gals," suavely drawled Rockford so that every boy in the room could envy his charm.

"You went out with three girls, in the same night!" screamed a first year who was important or people would have remembered his name. Rockford smiled and winked several times. Harry moved farther into his seat and glared at Rockford with extreme jealously and yet a hatred for a guy who would do that to three girls. He was jealous of course because last night him and Ron stayed in their dorms all night, he secretly was making out with his pillow while Ron practiced on the nearest picture, which happen to be a man.

"Did I mention I went out with the three at the same time, oh dear my I shouldn't have revealed that…oops…chuckle," Rockford laughed, still trying to sound …irresistible. Ron at that moment just gave up on his story which was sharing tongue with a unicorn because Rockford had just won over everyone.

"No more further comments…chuckle…next story…chuckle," Rockford commanded giving himself a smack on the back. Many boys who were excited earlier just lost hope in getting interest from everyone else. Harry knew it was wrong to look at love as a game but he was a man, or so he knew, and men had work their way up before winning; but for Harry he wasn't even on start and he felt like he was never given a "jail free card".

The night went on and many had already gone to bed, the hopeless ones and the ones who had already revealed, but Harry, Ron, several of the virgins and the two boys who both claimed to have been with Moaning Myrtle the night before stayed quietly in the common room. The room was silent except for the boys arguing and the fire was slowly moving closer to the bottom of the firewood. The dreaded day after Valentines was finally over and then Harry would have to wait until next year.

Rockford had already gone to bed after a long time of chuckling his signature chuckle and siftings his fingers through his perfect mane of curls made from a curling iron. Harry never liked Rockford but yet he idolized him just like everyone else but Harry started wondering how someone like Rock could get the girls to like him. Harry tried everything from flowers to holding open doors, it had to be his stupid scar…and Hermione told him it was attractive to make him feel better.

Ron was having the same dilemma but different then Harry's. Ron was dirty, rude, never thought first, spoke out, perverted, probably stupider then Rockford, no attempt to groom himself and his ego showed he thought he was everything. The several others, still sitting in the common room with their shoes off and their minds set on how much better next year would be, had the same problem just different cases.

"What if guys like us could have a guide to how to be like Rockford, who lads know, something to keep up us searching for dates," shouted Harry out of no where. Every boy, still in the room, turned and looked at the boy with a big black glasses…partially sweating.

"Like a group of people who keep someone motivated to go be with a girl," Neville Longbottom replied first out of the gloomy bunch. Ron was still scratching his head and picking at something on his elbow.

"Yeah, like all of us have the goal to go get a date before the end of the year and we can keep up on each others tabs once a week, like a support group," cried Tyler Cummings, some dirty boy with pink highlights.

Harry nodded and it started to turn his gloom into something better then gloom but still less then happiness. All of the boys, but the lads arguing over a ghost, started nodding and showing smiles to their faces.

"Okay, we meet tomorrow after everyone is asleep and we lay out the plans to at least get kissed," Harry shouted and the boys shouted back. Ron shouted but he wasn't listening, he just liked shouting. Harry felt good about this and got up to go to his cot while managing to take Ron with him.

Outside the boy's common room, a girl was listening in on the door. She had gone up there to tell her Valentine goodnight but she overheard a much better and funnier conversation dealing with shouting. She was going to go on her way to the girls' day after Valentines long conversation, which always started a little bit later then the guy's ritual when she thought about talking to her boyfriend.

Instead of knocking she overheard lads shouting and the only voice she recognized just happen to be the most famous dork of them all Mr. Harry Potter. She removed her ear from the wooden locked door and skipped her way to the girl's common room with something very humorous to tell the other girls.


	2. The Girls' Game

Chapter Two: The Girls' Game

The large gold clock in the hallway struck ten thirty and all of the pictures slowly became lifeless while the moving stairs stopped to rest. Jenny McArthur was the only girl traveling at that hour, on her way to the girls' Gryffindor dormitories to have a great discussion on what she just heard when eavesdropping.

The girls, every year after Valentine's Day, had a long chat among other girls about the romantic night that they had and how dear their sweethearts were. The girls without dates of course just sat and listened; it was the polite thing to do. The discussion didn't normally start until ten forty five because some brainy lassies had to finish their homework before…blah…blah…blah.

Jenny McArthur was a fifth year who was very mature for her age, very mature…not brain-wise. Jenny was known for her keen hearing and her glossy fiery eyes, which were magically improved. She was just recently dating a young fourth year who was held back because his sports skills were better then his smarts skills. Jenny ran as fast as her little legs could carry her, not bothering to hold her dress down or to not scuff the marble with her new black loafers.

"This is so pathetic, gossiping about boys who are most likely just going to go back to the common room and talk about you like you are some trophy they won in being better then everyone else, it is a sign of brainwash to women such as ourselves to respond to his kind of reaction, I bet in your mothers' day homework was looked at more then idiotic men…correction, boys who think they are men," nagged Hermione who was sitting in the common room with the other girls waiting on everyone to arrive.

The only girls still out were Rosaline Duluth, Gretchen Stay, Kitty Foreman, Vera Holloway and always late Jenny McArthur.

"Oh shut your pipe, you like it more than homework, don't shun the facts," interrupted a much larger second year with a loud rude mouth. Hermione was suddenly silent and she found entertainment in smoothing out the wrinkles in her blether skirt; leather was more expensive and real cow.

Twenty minutes went by and the only person they all waited for was little Jenny McArthur. Girls became restless and to excited to tell everyone about their Love Day and others fell asleep with boredom, Valentines is just another excuse to open up a new Gringotts account.

"Where the heck is Jenny McWhat'sHerFace I need to tell y'all about the hunk who took may out yesterday, with a great set of arms and …why do y'all have to wait for every gal to show up again?" complained Belle Beth, a new girl from southern United States. The girls just shrugged her comment off because she wasn't British and said "y'all" all the time. Ginny looked up from reading a green covered book but then returned her eyes to the page to realize the conversation was about Jenny and not her.

"B.B, just give it a rest, please, my goodness I'm here ….and out of breathe… guess what I just heard, Mr. Potter talking about starting a support clique for those wannbe schoolboys who never get laid," screamed Jenny slamming open the door and leaping onto the rap-around couch, her dress again was up in the air. Hermione and Ginny's eyes went up before all the girls began to giggle.

"McArthur tell us more, I need to know more about this," giggled Vera Holloway who used to have a major crush on Harry Potter in the earlier months of her first year. Vera had strawberry blonde curls and a very hour-glass shaped body…plastic. Hermione tried to stop the giggling and the squealing of the annoying gossip-ettes at Hogwarts, witches these days can not act civilized.

"Like I had just snuck up there to go kiss Jeffery good-night when I overheard a lot of shouting and the only voice I recognized was Mr. Potter's because it is so …mysterious," shrieked Jenny who started all the other girls to begin shrieking, it gave Ginny and Hermione a headache.

Instead of talking about dates, hearts, chocolate enchantments, and other mushy gushy crap, the girls talked about how hilarious Harry and his friends were for having a "Women Support Group". Hermione didn't like the chatter about one of her best friends and figured Ron was in on it too, Ronny always finds himself in a pickle of a situation.

"So, like when they finally get a date they are going to go rushing to a support meeting for help and tips and like information about us," laughed a second year who was very interested in the conversation. Everyone nodded but Ginny who still had feelings for Harry after he dumped her, she was most likely cheating on him with someone younger and less "scar-y" student during the summer.

"Let's play along with it, like a game but we can tease them so they think they are getting closer to their goal but really they're just getting farther away, to think you can just treat a girl like a AA meeting," suggested Ingrid. The girls agreed and they first had to figure out all of the boys in the group before testing the waters.

Hermione started to slowly remove herself from the common room and tip toe out the door to go try to warn Harry about the night's actions, when she was stopped…she is stealthier then a hippo. Tina Idiosyncrasy got her one arm and Pippin Coralline got the other. Hermione was forced back into her seat, by force…against the law, and talked to about her naughty, back-stabbing procedures.

"That is cruel and unjustified and unsurely and horrid and …and …if I had a larger vocabulary I would shout them out to let me go because I am not like that and I …and I will not stand her and let you girls puppets to my friends who…_can't get a date to save their lives_…but that doesn't matter…let me go…let me go…on the other side of it though Ron is always mean to me and Harry never calls me by the right name…karma is more like it…karma is good," yelled Hermione until she realized she didn't want to tell them about the game, they would have to suffer through it.

"And if the support group works out then more and more desperate guys will join and then we can work up our charm and then dump them for treating us like …like a testing subject," whispered Vera into Hermione's ear and Hermione without a doubt liked women winning the fight over the men, she agreed.

"So, tomorrow let's find out how many boys are in this "support girls club" and then we can assign ourselves to either make it hard for them or tease them," stated Mina and the girls nodded alongside her.

Though it was late no one could really hear the girls yelling about their game plans. Ginny had slipped away to her bed and managed to get ready without anyone knowing. Ginny hated the fact that the girls in her common were going to make fools out of the lads who were already fools. Harry had dumped her; why should she care about his feelings, but Ginny deep down still had a heart for dear old Mr. Potter.

Even at that time of night, even a slick lad finds himself out of bed and roaming the halls without Filch finding him. Malfoy couldn't sleep because all he could hear were screaming girls and his common room was completely in a different floor. He figured if more then three girls were shouting they must be having a…party…and Draco doesn't miss a party. He slicked his blonde hair back and searched for the smell of butterbeer.


	3. Animal Instincts

Chapter Three: Animal Instincts

"I don't know about you, Harry, but I slept pretty darn well last night after the rain died down a bit," Ron shouted across the Gryffindor dining table, not bothering to chew before he spoke. Breakfast was served two hours before the school hours began, but Harry and Ron wanted first dibs on the fats and carbs.

Harry acted like he didn't hear Ron because the fact was he couldn't sleep a wink without thinking about the idea he had had last night, and Ron's lion of a snore kept him up most of the night. That was okay though because Ron had already forgotten what he had said.

"Ronald, have you ever felt…uncomfortable after speaking to a large number of your peers?" asked Harry whispering under his breath, he made sure not to speak loud enough for Hermione to overhear him. She had been acting quite strange…stranger today. Ron just shrugged and took a two mouth full bite of sweet potato griddlecakes, which he regretted after choking. Harry sighed and started making heart figures over and over again with his finger on the rough wooden bench.

"Harry, I do say you do look like you didn't get a pinch of beauty sleep…it is required by many muggles doctors to have at least eight to nine hours before starting a hectic day of educational wonders…I, however, make sure to get at least twelve to thirteen hours on a regular night to daybreak schedule," Hermione babbled on and on until Harry completely zoned her out and was finding it quite funny just watching her mouth move up and down.

"Did you have a merry "Day after Valentines"?" asked Harry interrupting her so she would have to think about her answer at it would give him at least ten minutes without having to hear her voice; it was like a headache in Snape's class plus nails on a chalk board. Just as planned, Hermione put her perfectly cleaned knuckles on her wrist and began to think up an educational way to answer the effortless question.

Harry's hazel weary eyes glanced back and forth across the rows in the mess hall, checking out the lassies as they passed by. Girls of all sizes, shapes, features…_features_, hair tints, style, heights, attractiveness or ugliness, big mouths or small teeth, smiley preps and emotional Goths, Hufflepuffles and Ravenclaws, and then he lost his train of thought because Malfoy strutted smoothly across the table, Harry gave the walk a five and then shook the thought away as soon as possible.

"Harry, are you going to eat that slice of turkey leg…mmm…or your grits…or your juice…or your scrambled eggs…how 'bout I take your 'fast off you? You do kind of need to lose some weight, Harry," asked Ron. Ron had cleaned off the plate before Harry could even nod and then looked over to Hermione to start mooching off of her; she had pound cake.

Harry thought to himself and wondered why he was starting to now just realize the beauty of a woman; Hermione looked over at him and smiled…Harry then corrected his statement. Some women are lovely, cute, well turned-out, smarter then a million men put together…or just a million Rons, petites, lengthy… That was when Harry felt like a disgusting, sniper at a victim, bird on its prey, a Rockford on his three dates, and animal, a cold blooded sex crazed beast. Harry's ghostly pale face went to the brightness shade of ruby and he put his face down on his arms, secretly still looking at the aisles.

"Ron, is it immoral to look at a women like a slab of steak…," Harry hissed under his arms making sure Hermione didn't catch into the conversation, that would be the end of it…_Harry Potter, you are a wrong boy to even suggesting asking that question to yourself or even a peer such as Ronald who has clearly half of a swine's brain_.

Harry waited impatiently for an answer; Ron just kept on chewing and laughing at a girl who tripped at the Slytherin table.

"That lass just fell on her _bum_, dear my…a big _bum._ Lassies are meat, Harry; some are hamburgers, some are mystery meatloaves, tofu, and then, very rarely, you find a filet mignon. That one there's a meatloaf," shouted Ron, still laughing and pointing at the girl, who was almost in tears.

"Ronald Wealsey, how dare you compare a female to a food group, just wait until I tell your sister and she tells your mother and then your father and then the teachers at Hogwarts. Do you consider me a chicken or a mutton loaf, you scrub? You…you are lower then the prices at a thrift superstore," spluttered Hermione, slapping Ron across the face, all of the food in his mouth launched from his cheeks and onto Harry's lap.

"You are not even a pork loaf, Herm, your more of a… stick of jerky whenever I get hungry," smirked Ron, a comment that earned him a kick in the groin for under the table. Harry managed to napkin up all of the turkey, mashed potatoes, and griddle cakes from his pants…a large stain remained in its place.

"I knew it was a perfect day to show off my new steel-toed black boots. Have a pleasurable time trying making babies, Ronald!" yelled Hermione getting up from the table and stomping to the entrance of the mess hall, she managed to flip her hair back and it made Harry give her a second glance, …animal kept running through his head.

"Yeah, she totally wants to shag me," whispered Ron, curled into the fetal position. The girl who had fell on her behind earlier passed the table, pointing at Ron and snickering; karma always gets the best of us.

As Harry went to get up to go give Hermione a high five for knocking Ron in the balls, he noticed someone who caught his eye. The girl was leaving the other end of the Gryffindor table with a pack of her friends; magical school cliques. She had centered herself between Ginny Weasley and a girl with a pimply face. Ginny turned and looked at him but he ignored her, he kept his eyes on the target.

"Ron, look behind you, hurry, who is that lass?" asked Harry, sitting back down so the girl wouldn't see him watching her with a amazement, a fascination, but not like an animal looking at a source of protein, he looked at her as if she was a goddess, a flower; an instinct that seemed to just occur to him.

"Lower your standards, hot-shot, that cheetah is on the prowl for herself some Ronald…rawh!" snarled Ron, taking a glance at the girl and a glance at Harry. Harry admired her petite body, her honey almost sun-kissed straight hair, and her piercing gold eyes emerging from the hair covering the side of her left cheek, Harry was in deep shock. Ginny moved faster than the girl and tried to make it noticeable that she was flaunting a new wool robe; her last one was Ron's old one. Harry on the other hand didn't even notice Ginny leave the midst of the clique.

"That my man is the filet mignon out of this fish market. Melrose McArthur. The older sister to one of my sister's perky little wiry friends Jenny McArthur, just transferred here from Beaubatons," Ron explained as the perfect lass strutted behind Ron's head and the glimpse of her was gone.

"Animals, Ron…men are animals," sighed Harry still picturing her and setting her in his memory; her blue plain dress, her slightly pale skin, her breathtaking…beauty. Harry was in a case of sure, but sad, puppy love with just an appearance. Harry noticed Malfoy chasing out the doors after the clique several minutes later; it made Harry angry because his walk and improved…Harry gave him a six this time.

Harry and Ron got up to head for their first class of the day. Ron was walking much slower then usually but he had managed to walk, he got kicked their many times and this one didn't seem to bother him. Harry on the other hand was tripping over his feet, still drooling over the lass.

"Harry, men are animals but you would never guess how many animal-like darn women can be," blurred Ron making Harry laugh and the two strolled off to Potions. Ginny turned around the column in the hallway and tagged along, from afar; she wanted to know if Harry was going to mention him staring at her brand new robe.


	4. Potions

Chapter Four: Potions

The late bell rung through out the endless halls of Hogwarts, the dreaded first class period of the day had begun. Harry and Ron took their seats in the familiar Potions classroom. They had made the bell before Professor Snape arrived.

The Potions classroom was the only classroom in the school with no windows and dark, rough brick covering the walls; talk about inviting. The candles allowed some light for the students to see their textbooks and cauldrons.

"Score, we made it before Snapey and that gives me …eleven seconds exactly to start my homework," exclaimed Ron, pulling out a tattered quill and scribbling on a napkin from breakfast.

"Ronald, you really must make it a habit to finish your homework _before_ class is in session, and a parchment is always better than a …_napkin_," sneered Hermione, turning her chair to face the two.

"I like napkins; if I get hungry I just smell my homework," Ron told her not looking up from his writing. Harry, on the other hand, was completely zoned out of the conversation; he couldn't stop thinking about the suave girl he saw in the Great Hall.

"What the hell? What's wrong with Potter?" asked Malfoy, turning his chair as well to face Hermione and Ron with Goyle on his right and Crabbe on his left.

"Why the sudden concern for Harry, Malfoy?" questioned Hermione raising an eyebrow. Draco Malfoy was Harry's second worst enemy in the world; first was the Dark Lord himself.

"He looks confused, I only like seeing him confused when I cause the confusion," confessed Malfoy, shrugging his shoulders and smirking. Hermione snickered and Malfoy turned back around, a full 180 degrees while pushing his fingers through this hair.

The chamber door flung open and the reaction knocked a skull off of Snape's shelf. Snape strutted across the aisle while his black cloak floated behind him and his leather boats clicked across the stone floor.

"Good morning class, I hope _all_ of you have completed your assignment and behaved yourselves last night, but I won't get my hopes up," drawled Professor Snape seating at his desk and opening Advanced Potions.

"Which part Professor? Finishing our homework or not horse-playing on Valentine's Day?" asked John, a very stupid Irish kid.

"I sure make Snape happy, I didn't do anything but pretend my pillow was a horseplayer," thought Harry, sighing. Hermione turned back around at the sigh, watching him carefully.

"I don't have to answer that question. Ten points away from Gryffindor," Snape drawled. Suddenly, the door opened. "And we have a new student who starts today… despite the fact she was late," Snape announced, glowering at the new arrival. "Great, another student I have to keep from _dying_," he muttered.

The girl from the dining hall swept her way into the Potion class; she swept in and swept away Harry's heart. The lassies in the class looked away, while the lads in the class stopped and drooled. Her blue dress this time was covered up by a Gryffindor robe and her straight honey hair was sprayed up in a bun. The robe was extremely new and she sported a Beauxbatons class button on her pocket.

"Class, this is Melrose McArthur, our new classmate…she will be joining the Gryffindor side of the classroom," Snape sneered, pointing to the empty seat next to Hermione. Melrose glided into the desk and took out a fuzzy quill and pink parchment. Harry could not help but stare.

"Hey babe, the name's Malfoy, but you can call me Draco," whispered Malfoy, turning around again to introduce himself to Harry's crush. Snape began lecturing but the students ignored his voice.

Melrose looked up at him and rolled her eyes. She hated it when people assumed she was flirty like her younger sister, Jenny. Boys who are blonde always end up being very arrogant, pish posh.

"May I switch seats with you? Malfoy is irritating the hell out of me?" whispered Melrose to Ron whose seat was next to Harry's and behind hers. Hermione shushed Melrose because she was the only student who seemed to be paying any attention. Malfoy had his mouth open in shock and he couldn't believe the girl rejected his _charm, his sex appeal and, most importantly, his charm_.

Ron looked up from doodling on his napkin to nod. He figured he got to sit next to Hermione-the-Smart who would probably do the potion for him and Harry could thank him later for his hormone rush. Ron and Melrose quickly switched seats before Snape could look up from reading off today's lesson in the Potions' text.

Harry peeked at the girl from the corner of his eye. His glasses started to fog up and he couldn't breath through his nose, he hoped his breathe didn't smell. Melrose was taking notes on her parchment and flicking her brown sandals on and off from under the desk. Harry noticed she had pink nails.

"Hopefully you bloody boogers paid some attention, you and your partner will mix the ingredients found in your Potions' books. Good luck and leave me alone," shouted Snape over the sleeping students. He handed out the potions and removed himself to the second floor closet.

Harry picked up the first bottle and kept looking at the ooze so he didn't have to look at his partner. He saw Ron splatting the ooze onto the table and all over Hermione's papers; she yelled at him but he didn't seem to care. She threatened her wand on him and he still didn't care.

"Beg my pardon, but aren't you Harry Potter?" Melrose embarrassedly asked, facing Harry and looking at his scar. Harry gulped and looked at her hazel eyes; he dug his thumb nail into his left hand. He dazedly poured the ooze into the cauldron.

"Why yes, I am Harry Potter," responded Harry, noticing Malfoy giving him the death stare along with many others in the class. Harry didn't always want his first impression to be the Boy-Who-Lived; he was just plain Harry.

"I have always heard stories about you but I never expected to attend school with the amazing Harry Potter," confessed Melrose, batting her eyelashes. Harry shrugged and smiled a very big grin.

"Um…we should get started," ordered Harry taking a handful of dead beetles and adding it to the oozy concoctions. She frowned and scooted away from him.

"Drat, why does this always happen to me," thought Harry, hitting his head with his hand. She looked at the beetle stuck to his forehead, disgusted, but managing to show off a fake smile.

"Um, you have something… right there," she said, brushing a finger across his forehead. He looked down at the dislodged dead beetle and flushed.

"So…what did they call Potions at Beauxbatons?" Harry questioned trying to make conversation after grossing her out. "You spoke German there, right?"

"Er, it's French, and we still call it Potions," Melrose told him.

Harry gave a nervous chuckle. She added the next ingredient, lucky for her it wasn't beetles.

"Stop laughing like an idiot, Harry," Ron interrupted, watching him.

"Be quiet Ron," he muttered, turning red. "Turn back around. Don't you have a potion to work on?"

"Ours is done," Ron bragged, gesturing to their cauldron, which was the perfect color and texture. Hermione, who had obviously done all the work, was studying for her next class. Ron raised an eyebrow and returned to coloring on his napkin.

"Is that _idiot_ one of your friends?" asked Melrose pointing at Ron.

"Um…never seen him in my life," lied Harry, smiling.

Melrose bit her lip. "Mmmhmm," she said disbelievingly.

Flustered now, Harry threw a handful of daisy petals into the cauldron. The potion exploded over them both, covering them in chunks of beetle legs and green ooze.

"Oh my gosh!" exclaimed Melrose, standing up.

"…Sorry?" Harry said as she ran out of the room.

"Smooth," said the redhead in front of him. Ron handed him the napkin with a poorly drawn picture of Hermione on it. "You're gonna need this."


End file.
